The Immune System

The Immune System

Four types of Pathogens:

Viruses

Bacteria

Fungi 

Protists

Pathogens: These are infectious agents, or more commonly known as a germ. It is a biological agent that causes disease in whatever body it may reside in.

Macrophage: a type of phagocyte or white blood cell that digests foreign invaders and damaged tissues.

Antigen: This is any substance that stimulates an immune response in the body...especially the production of antibodies

Helper T cell: These are a sub-group of lymphocytes that help in establishing and maximizing the capabilities of the immune system

B cell: These are a lymphocyte derived from bone marrow that provides immunity. Part of their job is that it recognizes free antigen molecules in solution and matures into plasma cells that secrete antibodies that inactivate the antigens

Antibody: These are any of a large variety of proteins that are normally present in the body or produced in response to an antigen which it neutralizes....in return it produces an immune response

Killer cell: This is a white blood cell that attacks and kills foreign cells to the body. Some examples of these are tumor cells and other cells infected with bacteria or viruses.

Cytotoxic T cell: This is a type of white blood cell that can destroy specific cells directly

Memory cell: This is a subset of T-cells and B-cells that have been exposed to specific antigens and can then can recognize the antigen and divide more readily when the immune system re-encounters the same antigens later in time.

Different Types of Immunities

 1) Innate 2) Adaptive 3) Passive. 

1) You are born with a natural immunity called innate immunity. This provides an overall and general protection for you. It also prevents other diseases from harming our bodies. Luckily this has external barries to disease as well.  

2) Adaptive immunity is the immunity that an individual develops in the duration of their life. It develops from the pathogens that a person is exposed to.

3) Passive immunity is taken from another source not coming from the body. This does not last very long.

 

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome): This is initially a disease that unfortunately at a very slow pace destroys a person's immune system. As time goes on HIV turns into AIDS. This is a virus that completely destroys helper T cells. Without these cells the immune system is unable to defend the body against normally harmless organisms.  Because of the damage to our immune system, HIV attacks the body and one is not able to fight for their life, even with medication or treatment. It is possible for newborn babies to get the HIV infection from their mothers in the duration of the birth process. Other ways that people can get HIV are from having unprotected sex with an infected person or from sharing contaminated needles (such as from drugs, tattoos, steroids, etc). STAY AWAY once you have this infection, it stays with you and you will unfortunately die at a much earlier age than you should.


Lupus: This is an incurable and chronic disease characterized by muscle and joint pain and inflammation. The abnormal immune response includes attacks against the kidneys, other organs, or even red blood cells. This occurs more often in women than in men. There is not just one type of Lupus, there are actually four: 
1) systemic lupus erythematosus (THE WORST KIN) 2) discoid lupus erythematosus 
3) drug-induced lupus erythematosus 4) neonatal lupus.